Mirage’s decoy is one of his signature skills in Apex Legends. Nearly a year after the game’s release, players can tell the real Mirage from his holograms more easily than at launch. But a user discovered a simple way to make the legend harder to differentiate—and all it takes is a grenade.
Mirage’s decoy mirrors the player’s actions when sending it out. If the character is crouched, the hologram will move while also crouched. Sending out a decoy while holding a grenade causes it to use a different animation and move in a full-fledged sprint.
Copies deployed while holding a primary weapon don’t actually sprint, but use Mirage’s “regular silly jog” instead, according to the user.
The tactic has two benefits. It allows the decoy to cover more ground and makes the illusion more believable. Changing the animation makes enemies more prone to question whether it’s real and could net you more bamboozles. The faster movement speed helps create hesitation in the enemy since decoys usually move at a slower pace.
It can also prove to be a worthy tactic when crossing open areas. A sprinting decoy can be used as misdirection or bait to lure out possible ambushers if they open fire on the copy.
Parts of the Apex community considered the Holographic Trickster as the legend in most need of buffs, according to a fan-made survey taken in November. The results showed that Mirage’s kit is considered troublesome and most of his skills could use an overhaul. It’s unknown if the legend is getting buffed at some point, but in the meantime, using advanced decoy techniques can increase the legend’s effectiveness.